Malaysian prince wins defamation suit against Manohara

The prince has won in a court of law in Malaysia but one wonders if this victory will carry any weight in the court of public opinion in Indonesia?

Manohara Loses Defamation Suit Brought by Malaysian Prince

A Malaysian prince won a defamation suit on Thursday against his teenage wife, Manohara Odelia Pinot, who accused him of sexual and physical abuse after she fled back home to Indonesia.

The High Court ruled in favour of Tengku Fakhry Ismail Petra, a prince in Malaysia’s northern Kelantan state, because his wife had no lawyers to represent her at the proceedings, according to the prince’s lawyer, Mohamad Haaziq Pillay.

The prince had sought 105 million Malaysian ringgit ($30.6 million) from Manohara and her mother for making false allegations against him, but the court will decide later how much they must pay, Mohamad Haaziq said.

The prince’s lawyer said they would look into what legal measures could be taken to obtain payment from Manohara. However, he stressed that Tengku Fakhry was more concerned about simply clearing his name.

“My client feels vindicated,” Mohamad Haaziq said.

“ They made him look like a monster, they tarnished his reputation internationally, but it has all been lies. This was their opportunity to come back to prove their case against him, but they failed to do so.”

Manohara’s lawyer in Jakarta could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Malaysian legal team hired by Manohara in the defamation case quit in September, saying she had not cooperated with them, gave them no clear instructions and refused to return to Malaysia for discussions. The High Court then said it would automatically rule in favor of the prince if Manohara failed to appoint new lawyers.